When’s the last time you discovered a role model?
Sometimes, you pick up a book or watch a movie that immerses you in the history of someone who achieves their dreams in exactly the ways you hope to. Collecting the stories of bold, passionate people who didn’t let anyone tell them “no” can motivate us to chase our own dreams.
Dr. Seema Yasmin is introducing young readers to dancer, actor, and comedian Maysoon Zayid, who found success despite people’s expectations of her based on her cerebral palsy. In Maysoon Zayid, The Girl Who Can Can, Dr. Yasmin traces Maysoon Zayid’s biography, from school troubles to physical therapy (AKA dance class) to Maysoon’s determined leap into the entertainment industry.
Maysoon’s journey is one many readers may not know (yet!), but it provides an invaluable look at how we treat our peers from extracurriculars to our careers. Dr. Yasmin paints a detailed picture of Maysoon’s behind-the-scenes experiences and the work she did to prove that she can think, move, and act within the limits she sets for herself, not the expectations of anyone else.
We caught up with Dr. Yasmin for an inside look at her new book and the Muslim Mavericks series, a brand new middle grade series that highlights extraordinary achievements by Muslim scientists, athletes, and entertainers. (Dr. Yasmin is a pretty great role model, too. She’s an Emmy Award-winning journalist, a 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist, an accomplished author, poet, and doctor, and that’s the short list!)
Showstopper Magazine Online: Maysoon Zayid’s story is the first in the Muslim Mavericks series. Can you tell us a bit about that larger project?
Dr. Seema Yasmin: Muslim Mavericks is a middle grade biographical series which celebrates Muslims who have broken barriers across fields like the arts, science, sports, and entertainment. My goal is to spotlight the extraordinary diversity of Muslim lives and to challenge the narrow ways Muslims are often portrayed in the media, including in children’s literature. Each book in the series focuses on one Muslim Maverick, but together the series paints a much broader picture of what it means to be Muslim.
SMO: Why did you decide to tell Maysoon’s story first?
Dr. Yasmin: Maysoon Zayid is a disabled Palestinian American Muslim woman who uses comedy to claim space, challenge bias, and create joy. Starting the series with her was a way to signal that Muslim Mavericks would not center “safe” or familiar narratives, but bold, complex, and joyful ones. Maysoon’s story felt like the perfect place to begin because her story immediately disrupts expectations.
SMO: You are a multi-talented creative with a lot of credentials! What led you to middle grade fiction?
Dr. Yasmin: Thank you! Medical school then journalism school and now clown school were never in the plans. I am incredibly grateful that my journey led me to writing children’s literature. Middle grade readers are at an age where their curiosity is wide open and ripe for nurturing, and their identity is beginning to take shape. I am drawn to this space because kids are ready to engage with real stories and big ideas without cynicism. Writing for this age group allows me to combine my love of research, storytelling, and representation in a way that feels meaningful and hopeful.
SMO: Throughout the book, you pause to educate your readers on cultural practices, scientific terms, and how we discuss disability. How did you organize these priorities while you were writing?
Dr. Yasmin: I let the story lead. Any explanation, whether it’s cultural, scientific, or social, has to serve the narrative and feel organic to Maysoon’s journey. As I was writing, I asked myself whether a young reader would naturally have that question at that moment in the story, and if the answer was yes, I found a clear way to address it without interrupting the momentum.
SMO: What do you most admire about Maysoon?
Dr. Yasmin: She’s funny! I admire her refusal to shrink herself. She is unapologetically truthful, ambitious, and outspoken, and she doesn’t wait for permission to take up space. Her confidence is not about ignoring hardship, it’s about moving forward with honesty and humor anyway.
SMO: What lessons about understanding cultural and physical differences in performance spaces do you hope readers take away from Maysoon Zayid’s story?
Dr. Yasmin: I hope readers learn that access and inclusion matter for everyone, and not just in classrooms, but everywhere, including stages and performance spaces. Maysoon’s story shows how talent can flourish when spaces adapt to people, rather than forcing people to adapt to narrow ideas of what performers “should” look and sound like. Ultimately, I hope the book encourages people to dream bigger for themselves and the world.
SMO: Is there anything else you want people to know about Maysoon Zayid or Muslim Mavericks?
Dr. Yasmin: This book is only the beginning. The Muslim Mavericks series is committed to telling many different Muslim stories, across race, ability, culture, and personality, without asking any one person to represent us all. At its heart, the series is about possibility, curiosity, and the freedom to be fully yourself.
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Maysoon Zayid, The Girl Who Can Can by Dr. Seema Yasmin is out now.
